Water tank for grinding machines



May 19, 1925.

J. N. HEALD WATER TANK FOR GRINDING MQGHINES Filed Sept. 15, 1922Patented May 19, 1925.

UNITED STATES I 1,538,553 PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES N. HEALD, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE HEALD MACHINE COMPANY, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CO-RPQRATION OF MASSA-CHUSETTS.

WATER TANK FOR GRINDING MACHINES.

Application filed September 15, 1922. Serial No. 588,514.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES N. HEALD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Worcester, in the county of Worcester and Commonwealth ofMassachusetts, have 1nvented a new and useful Improvement in a WaterTank for Grinding Machines, of which the following, together with theaccompanying drawings, is a specification.

machines, and in particular to the provision with such a machine ofmeans for conveniently securing the supply, discharge and replenishmentof the water that is used 1n the operation of grinding.

' The several features of the invention are set forth in fullhereinafter, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein,

shown in relation to so much of a grinding machine as is necessary todisclose the operation thereof.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the parts shown in Fig. 1. I

Fig. 3 is a side view of the Improved tank with a portion of its wallcut away to (llS close the interior construction.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures.0

It is the general practice in wet grinding operations to provide thewater supply for the machine by the use of a tank, which 1s connectedsuitably with the water circulating system, in such a manner that wateris drawn or pumped from one end of said tank, and subsequentlydischarged or drained back into the other end. In many machines thewater tank is made integral with the base of the machine, but in orderto facilitate cleaning and replenishment of the water supply, it is ofgreat advantage to make the tank removable from the ma chine.

It has heretofore been proposed to mount such a removable tank on wheels01' rollers, and to provide, in conjunction with this mounting, for thedumping 01' tipping of the tank body, the latter involving of'necessity,the provision of'more or less complicated locking devices, not only forholding the body in normal untipped position, but also for holding theentire structure in proper position relative to the machine and to thepump driving devices thereof, to pre- The present invention relates togrinding Fig. 1 is a plan View of the improvement vent any displacementby the shifting of its roller or wheel supports.

The present invention aims to simplify and to render less expensive theprovision of such a tank, by doing away with the necessity for rollers01' wheels thereon and the necessity for dumping and lockinginstrumentalities,without however, detracting in the least from theportability of the structure. As shown in the drawings, the

grinding machine provides the usual water circulating system 1, which inthe case of the plain grinder here illustrated, consists essentially ofa flexible supply conduit carried by the wheel slide 2, and terminatingat 3 adjacent to the grinding wheel 4. The water is drawn or forced intothe conduit 1 by a suitable pump 1, driven by a belt 1 and preferablylocated in a tank compartment 5; the discharge of water from the wheel 4is into the usual pan 6 of the machine, the latter having an outlet 7 todirect the water into another tank compartment 8.

The two compartments 5 and 8 are formed in a single tank structureconsisting of side walls 9, 9, bottom 10, front wall 1l,and sloping rearwall 12; the movable baffle plate or partition 13, suspended from theside walls 9, 9 by pivot studs 14 separates the two compartments 5 and8. The baflie plate or partition 13 normally bears against suitableflanges 15, 15 provided by the side walls 9, but is equipped with ahandle 16 which enables it to be swung backwardly on its pivot studs togive access to the compartment 5 for the purpose of cleaning out anysediment that has been carried over into said compartment 5 from thecompartment 8.

The tank structure thus constructed has its bottom 1O supported at thefour corners thereof upon legs 17, 17 the lower ends or feet of whichare adapted to rest upon the floor, as sh0Wn,-the proportion of partsbeing such that when the tank structure is thus operatively positionedrelative to the grinding machine, there is considerable clearance space,as indicated at 18, between the top of the tank and the underside of themachine pan 6. The spacing between the legs 17, 17 is such as to permitthe passage be tween them, either sidewise or endwise of the tank, of anordinary type, such as the Cowan type, of shop conveyor, as illustratedat 19, Figs 1 and 2, and the height at which the tank bottom 10 is heldabove the floor by said legs 17, 17 is such as to admit freely thelowered platform or support 20 of said conve or, while at the same timebeing engagea le by said platform when the latter is raised bydepression of the handle bar 21 of the conve or. In other words, thedimensions an proportions adopted for the legs and bottom of the tankstructure are the same substantially, as regards spacing and elevationfrom the floor, as the correspond ingdimensions and proportions of theusual merchandise-supporting skids or platforms that are used inconjunction with conveyors of'the above described type.

In consequence of this arrangement, the standard conveyor of the Cowan,or any other well known type, forming a part of .theregular shopequipment, can be readil disposed, in its lowered position, directy beneath the bottom 10 of the tank and between the legs 17, 17 on eitherside or end. The elevation of the conveyors platform 20 serves toelevate the entire tank structureabove the floor, in precisely the sameway as the conveyor is used to elevate one of the loaded skids that isfurnished as part of the conveyor equipment. When thus supported on theconveyor rather than on the floor, the tank structure can be wheeledabout at will on the rollers 22 of the conveyor, and moved to aconvenient place for dumping, cleaning and refilling; thereafter theconveyor serves for wheeling the tank back in position beneath the pan 6of the machine, and for lowering it on to the floor, allowing the legs17 to support it in a stationary position, without the need for anylocking devices whatsoever.

The sloping outer end 12 of the tank is formed with a curved li 23 whichfacilitates the removal, when desired, from the compartment 8 of thesediment and wheel dust the baflle plate 13. The pitcher ip 23 and theslo ing end 12 permit this material to be scrape or scooped out of thetank, without interruption to theoperation of grinding or to thecirculation of water through the tank and through the pipe 1. For theremoval of any sediment or wheel dust that finds its way intocompartment 5, the bafile plate 13 may be swung back to give access tosaid compartment 5.

I claim,

1. A portable water sup ly tank for a grinding machine, said tan havingthree vertical walls and one slo ing wall, all of them rectangular, apivotal y mounted bafile plate, dividing the tank, being adapted toswingtowards the sloping wall and with it forming a settlingcompartment, a pump in the other compartment, and legs under the tankspaced and of such a height as to re ceive and permit the tank to belifted by a wheeled conveyor of the lifting type.

2. A portable water supply tank for a grinding machine, said tank havingthree vertical walls and one slo ing wall, all of them rectangular, apivota 1y mounted bafile plate dividing the tank, bein adapted ,to swingtoward the sloping wall and being normally held in a vertical positionby water pressure and by flanges on two parallel vertical walls anddividing the tank into a settling compartment and a pumping compartment,the settling compartment including the sloping wall, and legs under thetank spaced and of such a heig it as to receive and to permit the tankto be lifted by a wheeled conveyor of the lifting type.

Dated this 13th day of September 1922. JAMES N. HEALD.

